Arkansans Against School Paddling

08/09/2026

📚 Getting students through the school doors is only the beginning. Helping them feel like they belong is what keeps them connected.

This September, during Attendance Awareness Month, the 2026 campaign reminds us: “Your Presence Matters!”

Attendance is about more than rules and expectations. A trusted adult, a welcoming classroom, fair treatment, and respectful discipline can all contribute to a school environment where students feel valued and ready to learn.

When students feel safe, seen, supported, and respected, we strengthen more than attendance—we strengthen their connection to their school community. 💙

Let’s build schools students want to be part of, where discipline teaches without creating fear and every child knows they belong.

💬 What makes students want to come to school? Share your thoughts below.

📢 Share this post to help remind others that belonging matters.

04/09/2026

One family’s experience can become a powerful voice for change. 💙
A recent NPR article is bringing renewed national attention to corporal punishment in U.S. schools—and to the families and advocates who continue to speak out about its impact.
The article features Tessa, a former Board Member of Arkansans Against School Paddling (AASP), who continues to support our work as an advocate and volunteer. By sharing her family’s experience, Tessa helps put a human story behind an issue that is too often discussed only through policies and statistics.
Her advocacy is also part of a much longer movement. For decades, parents, educators, researchers, and advocates—including AASP—have worked to challenge the use of physical punishment in schools and promote approaches that protect student dignity while teaching responsibility.
Every story shared keeps the conversation moving. Every informed community brings us closer to change.
We are grateful to Tessa and to every family and advocate willing to speak up for schools where children can learn with safety, dignity, and respect.

📖 Read the full NPR article:
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/19/nx-s1-5803505/school-corporal-punishment-policy-tracker

📢 Read. Share. Speak up. Help us keep the conversation about ending school corporal punishment moving forward.

There is broad consensus among psychologists that corporal punishment can be harmful to children, but the U.S. has no federal laws banning it in public schools.

27/08/2026

Students may forget the rule they broke but they may never forget how an adult made them feel in that moment. 💙

Imagine being corrected without being shamed. Being held accountable without being humiliated. Being given the chance to learn from a mistake while still feeling respected.

That kind of response doesn’t weaken discipline. It makes discipline an opportunity to teach.

When educators protect a student’s dignity while addressing behavior, they help create classrooms where children feel safe enough to participate, ask questions, make mistakes, and keep learning.

Accountability and respect can exist together.

💬 Think back to your school years: What is one positive teacher moment you still remember? Share it below.

24/08/2026

📚 Advocacy doesn’t always start with a big speech. Sometimes, it starts with one important question.

Families deserve to understand how discipline works at their child’s school—what happens when behavior concerns arise, when parents are contacted, what nonphysical approaches are used, and how families can raise concerns about existing policies.

Asking questions isn’t about creating conflict. It’s about creating clarity, transparency, and accountability while keeping student safety and dignity at the center of the conversation.

Before your next school meeting, come prepared to ask. Your questions can open conversations that lead to safer, more supportive learning environments. 💙

📌 Save this checklist for your next school meeting and share it with another Arkansas family who may need it.

💬 What question would you add to this list?

22/08/2026

Research can reveal the problem. Your support helps turn evidence into action.

Important research shouldn’t stay buried in reports. Families, educators, and communities need information they can understand—and tools they can use to advocate for safer, more respectful schools.

Your support helps AASP share credible research, explain Arkansas discipline data, create educational resources, promote effective alternatives, and keep student dignity at the center of the conversation.

💙 Your donation helps move the work from research → knowledge → action → change.

Fund the next step. Help Arkansas communities turn evidence into action.

👉 Donate today: https://endhitting.org/donate/

💬 What resource would help your community most—policy guides, research summaries, parent checklists, or community presentations?

20/08/2026

💙 Change happens when people decide that children deserve better.

This National Nonprofit Day, we celebrate the parents, educators, advocates, volunteers, donors, and community members who turn concern into meaningful action.

AASP works to educate communities, elevate student dignity, and advocate for safe, respectful, evidence-informed discipline in Arkansas schools.

Every conversation raises awareness. Every share expands our reach. Every volunteer strengthens the movement. And every donation helps keep this important work moving forward.

Together, we can build a future where discipline teaches, accountability builds skills, and every student is treated with dignity and respect.

📢 Be part of the change. Follow, share, volunteer, or donate today.

💙 Donate: https://endhitting.org/donate/

18/08/2026

Discipline should leave students with a lesson—not fear. 💙

When challenging behavior happens, the goal shouldn’t simply be to stop it. It should be to help students understand what went wrong, what’s expected, and what they can do differently next time.

A calmer, teaching-centered response can start with three steps:

⏸️ Pause and regulate before reacting.
💬 Name the expectation clearly and respectfully.
🤝 Repair and practice a better response for next time.

Being nonviolent doesn’t mean having no boundaries. Students still need clear expectations and accountability—but discipline can protect their dignity while helping them develop responsibility, problem-solving, and self-control.

Correct behavior. Protect dignity. Keep teaching.

📌 Save this reel for the school year and share it with an educator, parent, or caregiver who believes discipline should build skills—not fear.

15/08/2026

🎒 A new school year should begin with excitement, possibility, and hope—not fear.

Picture a student walking into a new classroom carrying fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, and big hopes for the year ahead.

They’re ready to learn. Ready to make friends. Ready to make mistakes and grow from them.

What they shouldn’t have to wonder is whether one of those mistakes could result in physical punishment.

Every student deserves adults who respond with guidance, fairness, and respect. Your donation helps AASP continue raising awareness, sharing evidence-informed approaches to discipline, and advocating for safer learning environments for Arkansas students.

💙 Give Safety. Give Hope.

Your back-to-school gift can help us continue working toward schools where students can learn and grow without fear.

Make your gift today:
https://endhitting.org/donate/

💬 What is your biggest hope for Arkansas students this school year?

13/08/2026

📚 Before the school year gets busy, there’s one more thing every parent should check: the discipline policy.

We check supply lists, schedules, forms, and backpacks but understanding how your child’s school handles discipline matters too.

Arkansas school districts have written student discipline policies, and families can review their district handbook to understand the rules, whether corporal punishment is authorized, and how discipline procedures are communicated.

Being informed gives parents the opportunity to ask questions, understand their options, and advocate for safe, respectful, teaching-centered approaches to discipline. 💙

✅ Find the handbook.
✅ Read the policy.
✅ Ask questions.
✅ Keep a copy.

📢 KNOW. ASK. ADVOCATE.

Check your district’s discipline policy today, then save and share this post with another Arkansas family.

💬 Have you read your school district’s discipline policy yet?

11/08/2026

📚 You checked the backpack. You bought the supplies. But have you checked your school’s discipline policy?

Before the school year gets underway, Arkansas families can take one more important step: understand how their school responds to student behavior.

District discipline policies can differ, including policies concerning corporal punishment. Reading your district’s student handbook can help you know what practices are authorized, how families are informed, and what questions you may want to ask.

Being informed gives families a stronger voice in conversations about safe, respectful, and teaching-centered discipline.

✅ Find the handbook.
✅ Read the policy.
✅ Ask questions.
✅ Keep a copy.

💙 Check your district handbook today, then share this reminder with another Arkansas family.